Bobcat Fire Blamed On SCE Wires, Will SCE Losing Up To 88 More Structures Affect Malibu Loss Claims?
Written by 991KBU on September 24, 2020
The Bobcat Fire … stretched from Mount Wilson to Arcadia … across the mountains to near Wrightwood and into the desert near Palmdale.
It mat be cause by Southern California Edison … and that might affect Malibu homeowners who got burned out on the Woolsey Fire.
In papers filed with the California Public Utilities Commission …. SCE reports its power lines are being investigated.
The federal government has asked SCE to hand over a portion of 12 kilovolt overhead wires … that apparently are being suspected of igniting the Bobcat Fire.
A nearby substation flipped off back on September 16th … in the heart of the mountains.
Fire observation cameras at Mount Wilson were examined… they had recorded puffs of smoke six minutes earlier.
That could be a new fire … below Edison power lines in the mountain wilderness … that caused the substation to cut power and sound an alarm.
Edison points out that US Forest Service investigators have not alleged that SCE poles ignited of the Bobcat Fire.
But Edison has notified the state safety agency … as required … because the Forest Service has asked the power company to retain overhead equipment … in connection with its fire investigation.
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One point six billion dollars will be paid to insurance companies for losses in the Thomas Fire and subsequent landslides …. of three years ago.
44 people were killed in those disasters … also apparently caused by failing Southern California Edison power lines …
The fire was three years ago … it burned from Santa Paula through Ventura all the way to Santa Barbara.
After the mountains were burned off … mudslides swept through cities like Montecito … sweeping some victims out to sea … burying others alive under tons of mud and rocks.
One again … Edison is settling with big claims holders … the insurance companies.
Hundreds of individual lawsuits remain to be dealt with.
The company says it has has reached settlements with several hundred individual plaintiffs in litigation arising from the Santa Barbara and Ventura disasters.
And the company continues to explore reasonable settlement opportunities with other parties.
Edison has insurance for most of its losses in the Thomas fire and mudslides … about 1 billion dollars worth.
But the company will have to pay 700 million or so out of its own funds.
And the big question is … how will this effect the hundreds of Malibu residents who have filed lawsuits against Southern California Edison??
The loss of as many as 80 structures in this month’s Bobcat Fire … still burning … can only add to Edison’s staggering losses to wildfires over the past few years.
The company has deep pockets … and a good credit rating.
The Santa Barbara and Ventura fires damage estimate has gone up … 1 point 3 billion dollars … to a total of $6.2 billion dollars.
The power company’s settlement with the insurance companies may soeed up settlements with Malibu litigants.
But the additional losses from the Bobcat Fire may make the company less amenable to settlements with individual claimants in Malibu.
SCE has already paid 360 million dollars to the city … county and state over their losses here in the Woolsey Fire.
At the Bobcat Fire …. Angeles National Forest and L A County fire officials say they have turned the corner.
Houses on the foothills above the 210 Freeway east of Pasadena are now behind fire lines … that have been gouged into the flanks of the mountains above some pricey homes.
Mount Wilson has been saved … The Angeles National Forest tweeted Wednesday that containment more than doubled to 38%
But the Bobcat fire is not contained to the west … towards the ridges near Mount Wilson and La Canada.
Also … it’s still chewing through juniper and Joshua Trees in the desert foothills above the Antelope Valley.
On the east … the Bobcat Fire is currently about eight miles away from Wrightwood, Smith said.
The Bobcat fire is the second-largest fire in Los Angeles County history, second only to the Station fire in 2019 . which burned 160,577 acres.
Fire officials do not expect the Bobcat to get that large, anticipating full containment by Sept. 30 and perhaps capping off at about 125,000 acres.
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And now … the Bobcat Fire has a direct impact on Malibu fire victims.
